Good personal service in retail establishments is difficult for many firms to achieve.
This is especially true in larger department stores and retail chains, where the overhead
costs of adding sufficient service personnel can be prohibitive. Increasingly self-service
is the mode of service today.
The gap between full-service and self-service provides entrepreneurs with the
opportunity to deliver personalized service. Know you customers, their wants, needs,
preferences and price point. Your knowledge can provide them with a better shopping
experience and your store with more loyal customers. The small business owner has the
opportunity to order a select line of merchandise or offer a customized line of services.
The level of customization and targeting a small business can achieve will draw a
specialized audience loyal to a particular product or service category. The personal
service that accompany such offerings close provide value-added benefits to the consumer.
Keep in mind that exceptional customer service doesn’t just happen. Your small
sales force should walk in the door well-skilled, well paid and well motivated to perform.
If personalized service and strong product knowledge are part of your marketing and sales
strategy, you may be paying a more premium price for your sales agents. If you are paying
those key staffers above average wages, be sure that you incorporate sales and service
goals into an incentive plan. Get a return on the staff investment, that helps grow the
business.
One aspect of good personal service is matching the customer’s needs with the
business’s products or services. The better this match, the better the personal
service. Another aspect is customer relations. Each buyer should be made to feel important
and valued. Only when both aspects of the relationship have been fulfilled can a
profitable, long-term relationship be forged between the patron and the business. Conduct
period role-playing or training sessions. Keep your skills and your employees skills keen
in three areas: demonstrating a sincere interest in the customer; listening to the
customer to ascertain his or her true needs; and building product and service knowledge to
offer customers informed suggestions.
A sound sales program is based upon the sales people. Staff selection, staff training
and staff compensation. The small retailer doesn’t usually need a formal structured
training program. However, routine sales meetings and informal training sessions can help
employees perform better in their day-to-day activities. As the business owner, all these
efforts are designed to help you draw more sales and build a solid bottom line for the
business.
If you would like to discuss personalized customer service, personal selling or sales
force training, contact the SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives). More
than 12,000 volunteers, business counselors donate their time and expertise to assist
entrepreneurs. SCORE is a nonprofit organization, which offers counseling as a free and
confidential service to the community. For a referral to the SCORE chapter nearest you,
call 1(800) 634-0245.
